TRAINING & EDUCATION


"As responsible care providers and


managers, it is important to recognise that there needs to be an attitude of continuous improvement and update in


relation to knowledge, current regulatory trends and reviewing systems to maintain efficacy."


Setting the Standard


Helen Fuller, Managing Director at Care 4 Quality, tells us why she believes governance and oversight training should be a legal requirement in care.


According to research from Skills for Care, over 90% of services rated 'Good' or 'Outstanding' for being well-led by the CQC were also rated 'Good' or 'Outstanding' overall. Regulation 5 of the Health & Social Care Act states that “people who have director- level responsibility for the quality and safety of care, and for meeting fundamental standards, must be fit and proper to carry out this important


role.”


The regulation itself makes references to “having the necessary qualifications, competence, skills and experience”, which are necessary to perform the role. However, the fact is, there is currently no explicit guidance around what these requirements might consist of – leaving it wide open to interpretation. The regulation does touch upon professional qualifications and leadership skills, along with the requirement for individuals to possess a “caring and compassionate nature”, but unfortunately the guidance stops there.


Regulation 17, ‘Good Governance’ is closely linked with Regulation 5 and, so, the question begs- what training and continuous development should care providers be undertaking to demonstrate they are fit to take on the care provision role and possess the adequate skills and knowledge to perform their duties to the highest standards? The continued lack of guidance in this area poses a risk to care providers that are not meeting the regulatory expectations.


FOCUSED TRAINING From personal experience, there have been several cases


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recently where providers have been very much in the spotlight over their failure to demonstrate good governance and oversight of their services. It also appears that there is a rising trend of the CQC using its enforcement powers to impose conditions on providers that are not meeting the regulatory expectation. This can be a challenge for some care providers in terms of fulfilling the expectation of the regulator, especially given that many do not have a specific care-related background.


As a result, there is oſten an over-reliance on senior teams and care managers to provide the relevant information around governance to the provider. This is where specific, more focused training would really support providers in taking the lead with confidence, on the governance agenda within their organisation.


Of course, there is another side to the story. The lack of guidance around governance training also impacts those receiving care too. Part of the care provider’s role is to support its managers with an extra layer of oversight so that there is a robust crosscheck of evidence and a closing of the audit loop within the care service. This ensures that any areas of concern, non-compliance or interest are identified at the earliest opportunity before being discussed and addressed internally within the service. The danger right now is that these issues are only picked up during an inspection by the regulator, at which point the damage is done and it becomes a fire-fighting battle rather than a scenario that could have been managed and acted upon at the appropriate time.


TURNING OF THE TIDE


To date, there have been very clear expectations in terms of care managers’ roles and responsibilities but, historically, there has not been the same level of scrutiny for the providers themselves. That said, there might well be a ‘turning of


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